A Process for Key Messaging During Disaster

I’ve written about the oft under-emphasized practice of assessing the characteristics of an effective message that stands out and increases the likelihood that what’s being said is also being heard. It’s a subject Brandon and I will cover with attendees of a workshop we’re hosting in April. For the rest of you communication ninjas, I […]

A New Guide for Public Information Officers

It was about this time two years ago that Paul and I talked and both said, “Hey. We should do a crisis communication blog. Or something.” History. This year-end countdown has been fun for me, because I get to look over what we’ve published that People. Like. You. Actually. Like. (I. Get. To. Make. Up. […]

Putting the “I see!” in ICS for Communicators

Wow. 2015 sure happened, didn’t it? In the spirit of this season of giving, Paul and I are counting down (and re-sharing, re-posting, re-tweeting, re-facebooking, etc., etc.) our Top 10 Most Read Pieces (look at all those caps!) from this year of the Crisis Communicator blog. We’re continuously blown away by how many people visit […]

Talking Points are a Guide, Not a Script

A public information officer colleague returned from a recent disaster incident deployment and gave me the lowdown on how the job went. Turned out it could’ve been better! A particular low point for my friend came when he was demobilizing and had a short exit interview/debrief with the incident commander, focusing on his team’s contributions. […]

The Better Way to Give Affected Masses Crisis Info

Here’s today’s public service announcement from me to you: if you have bad news or risk information to communicate to people affected by crisis, don’t ever (ever, ever, EVER) choose to hold a town hall meeting to do so. Some people look at me like I’m crazy when I say this – even veteran communicators – so […]

Putting the “I see!” in ICS for Communicators

It’s 4th and goal, you’ve got the ball, there’s 5 seconds left in the game and your team is down by three. The coach sends you in from the sidelines with the final play of the game, confident that it’ll be a success and lead to victory. You get to the huddle, but decide you […]